STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Your brain is more powerful than you think: An Interview with Natalie Osborne
By Stacey J Butler
O
ur brains are incredibly powerful. Even when we are not conscious and our bodies are at rest, the brain is still working hard. The brain allows us to feel joy, happiness, and pleasure. But it also is the reason that we feel pain. Pain researchers use neuroimaging to try and understand how pain is “created” in the brain, and how brain plasticity may contribute to conditions such as chronic pain. With these advanced neuroimaging techniques, Natalie Osborne, a PhD Candidate in the Institute of Medical Sciences (IMS), is furthering our understanding of sexdifferences in chronic pain. Natalie’s journey to the IMS, and her quest to study chronic pain, began with her Master’s research at the University of Western Ontario. Under the supervision of Dr. Adrian Owen, Natalie learned how to use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure cognition in patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC). Patients with DOC vary in their level of consciousness, from being in a coma to being awake but unable to communicate. At the bedside, patients may show no signs of awareness. But under the fMRI scanner, some patients are able to mentally respond to commands. Even though they were not able to physically 32 | IMS MAGAZINE FALL 2021 GI & GUT MICROBIOME
move, their brains still responded to a command such as imagining themselves playing tennis. Natalie was amazed by the power of our brains, which she got to witness first-hand. Her fascination grew when she met a patient who recovered from a vegetative state and they “brought him back to the lab to see if he remembered anything from his first visit, and he did!” This led Natalie to wonder what else these patients are experiencing and are unable to tell us. One question was at the forefront of her mind: “Are you in pain?”. Natalie wrote about this topic in the Summer 2017 issue of IMS Magazine, with her compassionate article entitled, ‘I feel, therefore I am? Understanding pain in disorders of consciousness’. The search for the answer to this important question drove Natalie to pursue her PhD with Dr. Karen Davis, a renowned researcher in chronic pain, at the University of Toronto. Along with a common interest in neuroimaging, the two researchers also shared a commitment to gender equality in science. Historically, women are underrepresented in research.1 Many studies that do include women, fail to analyze results separately by sex.1 Women and men can differ in their symptoms and the way they respond to treatments.1,2 With regards to chronic pain,
women are more likely to be affected than men.1,2 Too often however, women with chronic pain are dismissed by healthcare providers.2 Natalie believes this happens due to lack of preclinical and clinical research on how sex and gender influence pain3, disparities in funding for research on female-specific conditions4, biases and gender stereotypes about pain expression5, and general misunderstanding about chronic pain. Patients with chronic pain are often told that “It is all in their head”. Although this statement is technically true–after all our brain does tell us we are in pain–it is also misleading. Worst of all, it leaves patients feeling helpless and stigmatized. Patients should be reassured that what they are experiencing is in fact real and valid. Better yet, they may even be able to use the power of their brain to control their pain and find relief. In her PhD research, Natalie strives to understand how the brain functions in patients with conditions that cause chronic pain. She studies conditions that are more common in males (ex. Ankylosing Spondylitis) as well as female-dominant conditions (ex. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome). This approach is a unique way to account for sex-differences and has led to interesting findings. Natalie found abnormalities in a region Graphic design by Michie (Xingyu) Wu
